Japan Porcelain

Porcelain is an integral thread of the fabric of Chinese culture. In the 14th century, while Europeans were still eating from low-fire earthenware or wooden dishes, the Chinese have developed the first porcelain underglazed. They were using cobalt, originally imported from Iran during the Yuan (1279-1368 AD), to add exceptional shades of color, from pale blue to nearly black, to translucent white bond wares. When Marco Polo brought back some samples, the world-let-Could can not get enough of it.

Copper is the other basic color of underglaze decoration. It has colors that range from the first muddy brown of the Ming Dynasty in the early 18th century true red. "Flowering Peach" or "fishing unripened" is a greenish tinge produced when copper has oxidized.

glaze decoration was done in various kinds of enamels and called famille rose (a French phrase meaning "famille rose"). There Famille verte (green), famille noire (black), and yellow family (yellow). Pieces with a black background enameled in famille rose or in combinations such as rose-verte (pink and green) is a late innovation of the 17th century. It is generally accepted that the overglaze enamel decoration reached its peak in the 18th century.

The Japanese at that time were also developing porcelain, mainly as objects of worship, like the tea ceremony. The famous Satsuma porcelain you hear so much is an innovation of the 17th century, adopted from Korea, and substantially increased. In the Meiji era (1868 - 1912), the Japanese had taken enameling to a new level. High power and reflecting the Japanese characteristics of meticulousness, precision and definition, these porcelain paintings are very conceptual. The art of Japanese porcelain enameled peaked between 1880 and 1920, whereas Chinese porcelain was at its best between 1710 and 1810.

In recent years, particularly beautiful and particularly rare porcelains have become exceedingly valuable. In March 2008, we sold a Hongwu vase during Asia Week in New York for 1.2 million dollars. Fortunately, there are still a lot of beauty lies in the interior of a range of affordable prices. Slight flaws will bring the price way down, yet the elements are still very collectible and always appreciate in value.

In general, the defects on the glaze occur most often during cooking. Although several glaze colors can theoretically be fired at the same time, most often they are cooked separately. If gold, gold was the last to go. It is the first to disappear.

When evaluating a particular piece of china, start by considering it as if it were perfect and determine what price perfection. (Access our online catalogs and prices realized for each auction to use as a reliable price guide.) From there, determine gaps in the play and judge the value in its current state.

My personal opinion is that very fine porcelain pieces with some damage or restoration are buying a lot of people today. A bowl Ch'ien Lung, for example, in perfect condition would be beyond the reach of most people. But if you find one with a small chip that has been expertly repaired and the bowl would make a lovely addition to your collection, buy it. They do not make them like that anymore and the chances of sticking to its value, to assess, is enormous.

As for copies, you can spot them easily. The decoration is usually too carefully drawn. Since porcelain does not show much wear, you will immediately see if a piece looks like someone took the fine steel wool and scrubbed, put on a polishing wheel or tried to calm him with chemicals.

Japanese porcelain from the Meiji era, including the (nine rivers Kutani nine rivers?) area has never really.